Positioning rack for thin-type electrothermal straps

ABSTRACT

A positioning rack for mounting thin-type electrothermal straps includes a main frame with a tubular base from which a plurality of support arms extend radially. A plurality of blade plates are removably mounted to the support arms and each have positioning recesses and separation portions so as to position electrothermal straps. Each of the blade plates is formed with two guide slots each having an end formed with a locking groove. Each of the support arms has two locking members each having a locking post detachably inserted into the locking groove. A catch block is formed on a distal end of the locking post and rested on a surface of a respective blade plate. Thus, each of the blade plates is removed from the respective support arm easily and conveniently without needing aid of a tool.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This is a Continuation-In-Part application of applicant's former patentapplication with application Ser. No. 10/792,700, filed Mar. 05, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A conventional positioning rack for mounting electrothermal straps 3used in heating fan, for example is shown in FIGS. 1-3 and comprises afixing bracket 1 having a base 102 and a plurality of support arms 104extend from the base 102. A plurality of insulating members 2 each aremounted on a respective one of the support arms 104 of the fixingbracket 1 and each have a side formed with a plurality of separationportions 204, and a plurality of positioning recesses 202 are locatedbetween the separation portions 204 for positioning electrothermalstraps 3.

Each of the insulating members 2 is fixed on a respective one of thesupport arms 104 of the fixing bracket 1 by a plurality of rivets withmanual aid of a special tool. However, it is difficult to rivet theinsulating members 2 by riveting tools because the gap between thesupport arms 104 are limited, so that the tools easily touches andcollides the insulating members 2 during the riveting process, therebyeasily wearing or breaking the insulating members 2. In addition, theinsulating members 2 are fixed the support arms 104 of the fixingbracket 1 and only limited space allows tools to access the rivets, sothat when either one of the insulating members 2 is worn out or broken,it is necessary to replace the whole positioning rack, thereby wastingthe resource, and thereby increasing the costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide apositioning rack for mounting thin-type electrothermal straps for anelectric appliance, wherein the blade plates can be easily andconveniently connected to and removed from the support arms withoutneeding aid of a tool.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided apositioning rack which comprises a main frame having a tubular base anda plurality of support arms extend radially from the tubular base. Twolocking members extend from one of two opposite surfaces of each supportarm and each locking member has a locking post and a catch block whichis connected to a distal end of the locking post corresponding thereto.The locking post is connected to the surface of the support arm.

A plurality of blade plates each have a plurality of hook-shapedseparation portions extend from each of two sides thereof and aplurality of positioning recesses are located between the separationportions. Two guide slots and two locking grooves are defined througheach of the blade plates. The locking grooves are respectivelycommunicate with the two guide slots. The guide slots each are sized toallow the catch block to pass therethrough and a width of each lockinggroove is sized to receive the locking post and smaller than a width ofeach catch block so that the blade plate is not disengaged from thesupport arm by the catch block. Each of the blade plates is partiallyclamped between the surface of each support arm and the catch block.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, whereina connection tube is connected between two tubular bases of two mainframes so that the two main frames can be connected with each other.

Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent after a careful reading of the detailed description withappropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partially perspective view of a fixing bracket of aconventional positioning rack in accordance with the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an insulating member of the conventionalpositioning rack in accordance with the prior art;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the conventional positioning rack in accordancewith the prior art;

FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of a positioning rack inaccordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a blade plate of the positioning rack inaccordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a plan cross-sectional view of a locking member of thepositioning rack in accordance with the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 shows that the electrothermo straps are positioned on the bladeplates of the positioning rack in accordance with the preferredembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows the blade plate is to be engaged with the locking member onthe support arm;

FIG. 9 shows that the blade plate is pivoted an angle to disengage theelectrothermo straps from the positioning recesses of the blade plate;

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the positioningrack of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 shows the connection between the two tubular bases and theconnection tube between the two positioning racks of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 4-6, a positioning rackin accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present inventioncomprises a main frame 10 having a tubular base 12 and a plurality ofsupport arms 14 extend radially from the tubular base 12. Each supportarm 14 has two locking members 16 extending from one of two oppositesurfaces thereof and each locking member 16 has a locking post 162 and acatch block 164, wherein the locking post 162 is connected to thesurface of the support arm 14 and the catch block 164 is connected to adistal end of the locking post 162 corresponding thereto.

A plurality of blade plates 20 each have a plurality of hook-shapedseparation portions 24 extending from two sides thereof and a pluralityof positioning recesses 22 are located between the separation portions24. Two guide slots 26 and two locking grooves 28 are defined througheach of the blade plates 20. The locking grooves 28 respectivelycommunicate with the two guide slots 26. The guide slots 26 and thelocking grooves 28 are located along a central longitudinal axis of eachblade plate 20.

The guide slots 26 each are sized to allow the catch block 164 to passtherethrough so that the blade plates 20 can be mounted to the supportarms 14 by passing the catch blocks 164 through the guide slots 26 andthen pushing the blade plates 20 along the longitudinal direction of thesupport arms 14 to let the locking posts 162 be engaged with the lockingroves 28. It is noted that a width of each locking groove 28 is sized toreceive the locking post 162 and smaller than a width of each catchblock 164 so that the blade plate 20 is not disengaged from the supportarm 14 by the catch block 164. Each of the locking posts 162 has twosides thereof which are clamped by two inner sides of the locking groove28 corresponding thereto. Each of the blade plates 20 is positioned bypartially clamped between the surface of each support arm 14 and thecatch block 164.

As shown in FIG. 7, the thin electrothermo strap 92 has one end thereofengaged with one of the positioning recesses 22 of one of the bladeplate 20 and the positioning recess 22 is the one that is located closeto the tubular base 20. The other end of the thin electrothermo strap 92is then positioned at one of the positioning recesses 22 of the adjacentblade plate 20. By this way, the thin electrothermo straps 92 can bepositioned to the same side of each of the blade plates 20 like a spiderweb. Another electrothermo strap 92 can also be positioned at the otherside of each blade plate 20.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when replacement of the blade plates 20 isneeded, the damaged blade plate 20 is pulled toward the tubular base 12along the longitudinal direction of the support arm 14 to shift thelocking posts 162 out from the locking grooves 28, and lift the bladeplate 20 to pass the catch blocks 164 through the guide slots 26 toseparate the blade plate 20 and the support arm 14. The blade plate 20is then pivoted about a center thereof to disengage the two thinelectrothermo straps 92, 94 from the positioning recesses 22. A newblade plate 20 can be connected to the support arm 14 by reverselyproceeding the steps as mentioned above. Accordingly, each of the bladeplates 20 is mounted on the respective support arm 14 of the main frame10 easily and conveniently without needing aid of a tool,

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, multiple main frames 10′. 10″ can beconnected with each other so as to increase the number of the thinelectrothermo straps. Each of the tubular bases 12′, 12″ of the two mainframes 10′. 10″ has a passage 122′/122″ defined axially therethrough anda first tube 124′/124″ and a second tube 126′/126″ extend from two sidesof the tubular base 12′/12″ respectively. A connection tube 40′ has oneend inserted into the first tube 124′ of the first main frame 10′ andthe other end of the connection tube 40′ is mounted to the second tube126″ of the tubular base 12″ of the second main frame 10″. It is notedthat the second tube 126′/126″ has a tapered outer periphery so that theconnection tube 40″ can be easily mounted thereto. A bolt 32′ extendsthrough the two tubular bases 12′/12″ and the connection tube 40′,wherein the head 32′ is stopped by the jointed portion of the secondtube 126′ and the passage 122′ of the first tubular base 12′ and thethreaded end 34′ of the bolt 32′ is located in a space enclosed by thefirst tube 124″ of the second tubular base 12″. A nut 36′ is used tolock the threaded end 34′ of the bolt 32′ to connect the first andsecond main frames 10′. 10″.

The second embodiment of the present invention can carry more thinelectrothermo straps 92, 94 without increasing the size of the mainframe 10. The total length of the thin electrothermo straps 92, 94 forthe multiple main frames 10′. 10″ is longer than that on one single mainframe 10, so that the desired temperature can be easily achieved whileeach thin electrothermo strap needs only generate limited heat, thusprolonging the life term of the thin electrothermo straps.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferredembodiments as mentioned above, it is to be understood that many otherpossible modifications and variations can be made without departing fromthe scope of the present invention. It is, therefore, contemplated thatthe appended claim or claims will cover such modifications andvariations that fall within the true scope of the invention.

1. A positioning rack for thin-type electrothermal straps comprising: amain frame having a tubular base and a plurality of support armsextending radially from the tubular base, each support arm having twolocking members extending from one of two opposite surfaces of eachsupport arm and each locking member having a locking post and a catchblock, the locking post connected to the surface of the support arm andthe catch block connected to a distal end of the locking postcorresponding thereto, and a plurality of blade plates each having aplurality of hook-shaped separation portions extending from two sidesthereof and a plurality of positioning recesses being located betweenthe separation portions, two guide slots and two locking grooves definedthrough each blade plate, the locking grooves respectively communicatingwith the two guide slots, the guide slots and the locking grooveslocated along a central longitudinal axis of each blade plate, the guideslots each being sized to allow the catch block to pass therethrough anda width of each locking groove being sized to receive the locking postand smaller than a width of each catch block so that the blade plate isnot disengaged from the support arm by the catch block, each of theblade plates being positioned by partially clamped between the surfaceof each support arm and the catch block.
 2. The positioning rack inaccordance with claim 1, wherein each of the locking posts has two sidesthereof being clamped by two inner sides of the locking groovecorresponding thereto.
 3. The positioning rack in accordance with claim1, wherein the tubular base has a passage defined axially therethroughand a first tube and a second tube extend from two sides of the tubularbase respectively, a connection tube has one end inserted into the firsttube and the other end of the connection tube is mounted to the secondtube of another tubular base.
 4. The positioning rack in accordance withclaim 3, wherein the second tube has a tapered outer periphery.
 5. Thepositioning rack in accordance with claim 3, wherein a bolt extendsthrough the two tubular bases and the connection tube.